Marlon Wayans thinks Dave Chappelle is fighting a "war" for comedy

“It taught me true, unconditional love,” Wayans tells Variety of coming to terms with his son’s gender. “My job as a father is to protect, respect and honor my children, and make sure they feel supported. It’s not my job to judge them; it’s my job to love them.” He adds, “I’m not here for hate. Transphobia is a form of hate. Homophobia is a form of hate. Racism is a form of hate. All those small-hearted, small-minded people, there’s a hell for you.” 

However, this has naturally generated questions about his friendship with Chappelle, whose material has been decried by trans people and their allies and embraced by transphobes on the political right. Still, even if Chappelle’s material has provided transphobes with talking points, Wayans says, “I wouldn’t hang with Dave if he was full of hate… I know Dave’s heart, and his intention isn’t to punch down.” In Wayans’ view, Chappelle is fighting a “war” for comedy. “Dave wants to freely tell his jokes, and if you’re going to be anti-comedy, then he’s going to keep attacking you until you learn to have a sense of humor,” says Wayans. “He’s just standing there and defending his front line as a comedian.” Wayans doesn’t want to see Chappelle censored (he hasn’t been—Netflix gave him three more specials after a walkout by trans employees who objected to the material in his 2021 special The Closer) and says, “You have to be a comedian to understand that.” 

“As a comedian, I respect his journey. And as a friend, I respect his journey,” he says. “And as the father of my child, I can appropriate my feelings toward my friend and my feelings toward my child, and how we can put those two things together and I can explain both sides. I’m between them, so I can explain both sides to each other.” 

Wayans’ relationship with Chappelle also comes up in another interview with GQ, where Wayans says the comedian came to watch his special about his son during a stop in Dayton. “He goes, ‘Man, man, it’s powerful. It’s powerful, man.’ And he’s like, ‘That was a beautiful set,'” Wayans tells that outlet. “And when a GOAT like Dave tells you that you feel good, especially when it’s about my trans child.”